THE BUCKET LIST **½

This comedy/drama stars Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman and Sean Hayes. Directed by Rob Reiner, it is one hour and 35 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for language, including a sexual reference.

The story is about a corporate billionaire and a working class mechanic who are both dying of cancer, share a hospital room, and discover they have a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do. They embark on the road trip of a lifetime in order to achieve that desire and end up enriching each other's life in the process.

This film is a little more than the sum of its parts. It has a very formulaic plot without a shred of ingenuity. It has Nicholson hamming his way throughout although he isn't as bad about that as I had feared. For the most part the plot isn't really believable. But, it does feature a good performance by Freeman, some nice scenic views, and quite a few laughs throughout. It's a film middle aged and older couples will enjoy a great deal more than the critics. It's not a film that must be seen in a theatre, a DVD will do quite nicely. However, if you're in the mood for a pleasant hour and a half with two of our better known actors, this will fill the bill nicely.